Milwaukee Marine dies while serving in Afghanistan

Lance Cpl. Jeremiah M. Collins, Jr., 19, died Saturday while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province, according to the Department of Defense.

Collins was a graduate of Hamilton High School in Milwaukee. He was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

"Any Marine and any military member is willing to take the loss of life for their country," said Shannon Collins, Jeremiah's mother. "But ultimately he knew the character of the Marines was something he wanted to be."

Collins said her son was deployed to Afghanistan in early July. She last heard from him through Facebook two weeks ago.

"He was a typical boy," she said. "He missed home in the sense of hanging out with his friends and doing things other 19-year-olds were doing. But at the same time, he just kept talking about his next deployment."

Defense officials said his death is currently ruled as a non-hostile fatality from a gunshot wound. Officials would not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Collins' death saying the incident is still under investigation.

Copyright 2013 byWISN.comAll rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.

Forty years ago, one of the greatest boxing matches in history took place in an unlikely setting: the capital of the Philippines. Muhammad Ali's epic win over great rival Joe Frazier in 1975 became known as the "Thrilla in Manila."